Mechanistic modelling of daphnid-algae dynamics within a laboratory microcosm

Dominique Lamonica, Ulysse Herbach, Frédéric Orias, Bernard Clément, Sandrine Charles and Christelle Lopes

Ecological Modelling, 2016, vol. 320, issue C, 213-230

Abstract: Our study describes the functioning of a 2-L laboratory microcosm of two species, daphnids (Daphnia magna) and microalgae (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata), in two abiotic phases (water column and sediment). We modelled the dynamics of both species and their interactions using a mechanistic model based on coupled ordinary differential equations. The main processes occurring in this two-species microcosm were thus formalised, including growth and settling of algae and growth, survival and grazing of daphnids. We estimated model parameters by Bayesian inference, using simultaneously all data from multiple experiments specifically conducted for this study. Two types of model verifications were performed: (1) internal verification to validate model structure and parameter estimation method using all data simultaneously; and (2) external verification to validate the ability of the model to be applied under new sediment conditions. For all parameters, we obtained biologically realistic values and reasonable uncertainties. The first verification step allowed us to confirm the modelled processes and the benefits of our parameter estimation method. The second one confirmed the ability of the model to describe microcosm functioning under different abiotic conditions. This innovative combination of mechanistic modelling and model-guided experiments revealed successful to understand the algae-daphnid microcosm functioning. This approach appears promising and can be applied to various issues in the ecological and ecotoxicological fields.

Keywords: Bayesian inference; Species interactions; Model-guided experiments; Daphnia magna; Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304380015004494
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:320:y:2016:i:c:p:213-230

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2015.09.020

Access Statistics for this article

Ecological Modelling is currently edited by Brian D. Fath

More articles in Ecological Modelling from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().